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BACKGROUND: Two-dimensional (2D) - shear wave elastography (SWE) has made promising advances in the diagnostic of breast lesions. However, few studies have assessed whether the diagnostic effectiveness of different platforms employing 2D-SWE is equal or different. OBJECTIVE: To compare the diagnostic effectiveness of 2D-SWE techniques from two different systems in differentiating malignant breast lesions from benign ones. METHODS: A total of 84 breast lesions were retrospectively analyzed by experienced radiologists using 2D-SWE on two ultrasound systems, i.e. system-1 (LOGIQ E9 system, GE Healthcare, Wauwatosa, WI, USA), and system-2 (Aixplorer US system, SuperSonic Imagine, Aix-en-Provence, France). Qualitative and quantitative parameters including color sign, the maximum elasticity modulus values (E-max), the mean elasticity modulus values (E-mean) and standard deviation (E-sd) of elasticity modulus values in two 2D-SWE systems were analyzed. The diagnostic performance between system-1 and system-2 were evaluated in terms of the areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUROCs). RESULTS: Among the 84 lesions in this study, 66 (78.6%) were benign and 18 (21.4%) were malignant. E-max in system-1 showed the best diagnostic performance with a cut-off value of 174.5 kPa with the associated sensitivity and specificity of 100.0% and 80.3% respectively. Meanwhile, E-sd in system-2 displayed the best diagnostic performance with a cut-off value of 12.7 kPa, with the associated sensitivity and specificity of 94.4% and 80.3% respectively. The diagnostic performance of the two 2D-SWE systems was not statistically different according to receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis of E-max, E-mean, and E-sd. CONCLUSION: For identifying breast lesions, system-1 and system-2 appear to be similar in diagnostic performance. However, different cut-off values for different parameters might be selected to obtain the best diagnostic performance for the two 2D-SWE systems. more...

Elevated thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP)-induced pyroptosis contributes to the pathology of diabetic kidney disease (DKD). However, the molecular mechanisms in dysregulated TXNIP in DKD remain largely unclear.Transcriptomic analysis identified a novel long noncoding RNA-Prader Willi/Angelman region RNA, SNRPN neighbour (PWARSN)-which was highly expressed in a proximal tubular epithelial cell (PTEC) under high glucose conditions. We focused on revealing the functions of PWARSN in regulating TXNIP-mediated pyroptosis in PTECs by targeting PWARSN expression via lentivirus-mediated overexpression and CRISPR-Cas9-based knockout in vitro and overexpressing PWARSN in the renal cortex by AAV-9 targeted injection in vivo. A number of molecular techniques disclosed the mechanisms of PWARSN in regulating TXNIP induced-pyroptosis in DKD.TXNIP-NOD-like receptor thermal protein domain associated protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome and PTEC pyroptosis were activated in the renal tubules of patients with DKD and in diabetic mice. Then we explored that PWARSN enhanced TXNIP-driven PTECs pyroptosis in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, cytoplasmic PWARSN sponged miR-372-3p to promote TXNIP expression. Moreover, nuclear PWARSN interacted and facilitated RNA binding motif protein X-linked (RBMX) degradation through ubiquitination, resulting in the initiation of TXNIP transcription by reducing H3K9me3-enrichment at the TXNIP promoter. Further analysis indicated that PWARSN might be a potential biomarker for DKD.These findings illustrate distinct dual molecular mechanisms for PWARSN-modulated TXNIP and PTECs pyroptosis in DKD, presenting PWARSN as a promising therapeutic target for DKD. more...

Nanoporous carbon foams (CFs), which are formed by the interconnection of graphene stripes and sp3 hybridized carbon junctions, have attracted great attention owing to their potential applications. However, the structural diversity makes it hard to experimentally gain accurate structural information. By performing first-principles calculations, we propose nanoporous CFs, which are based on the sixfold-wing graphene nanoribbons (SWGNRs), and systematically study their stabilities, mechanical properties, and electronic properties. The results show that the new CF networks are chemically, dynamically, and mechanically stable, and the stabilities are enhanced as the pore size is increased. More importantly, the CFs well-inherit the size-dependent electronic properties of GNRs, and overcome the instabilities and edge effects of GNRs. The superior structural, mechanical, and electronic properties make the γ-CFs potential candidates for application in electronic and thermoelectric devices, hydrogen and energy storage, and molecular screening. more...

Hydrogen gas produced by electrolysis has been considered as an excellent alternative to fossil fuels. Developing non-noble metal catalysts with high electrocatalytic activities is an effective way to reduce the cost of hydrogen production. Recently, black phosphorus (BP) based materials have been reported to have good potential as electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Herein, we systematically study the catalytic performance of monolayer BP (phosphorene) and several chemically modified phosphorenes (N/S/C/O doping and adsorbed NH2/OH functional groups) for HER on the basis of first-principles calculations. For pristine phosphorene, the armchair edge shows much better catalytic activity than the plane site and zigzag edge. The electronic states of phosphorene near the Fermi level are strongly influenced by chemical modifications. Both of doping heteroatoms into the lattice and introducing NH2/OH functional groups can effectively improve the catalytic performance of the plane site and zigzag edge site, but slightly degrade the armchair edge. These theoretical results shed light on the microscopic understanding of the active sites in BP based electrocatalysts for HER and pave the way for further improving their catalytic performance. more...

Carbon foam nanowires (CFNWs), which are mixed sp2/sp3 hybridized microporous one-dimensional structures, have received much attention in the past two decades. In the present work, first-principle and molecular dynamics (MD) calculations revealed that the surface states causes the metallicity of CFNWs with small size, which demonstrates a Dirac cone-like dispersion near Γ in the Brillouin zone, while the metallicity of large size CFNWs are caused by the bulk states. However, hydrogenation of the CFNWs turns the metallicity into semiconducting with an expansion of the band gap by 0.15–1.5 eV. Interestingly, the metallicity is enhanced when hydrogenation on the top of the CFNWs. Atomic cohesive energy analysis suggests that the CFNWs are energetically favorable up to its melting point at 2200 K. When heating above the melting point, CFNWs transit into multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), agreeing with experimental observations. These findings indicate the feasibility of metallic-semiconductive transition, which have potential applications in nanoscale devices, hydrogen storage and the preparation of MWCNTs. more...

Building eco-friendly thermoelectric materials has always been one of the most important goals to protect the environment. Recently, a new carbon allotrope called “twin graphene” is proposed, which has outstanding electronic and mechanical performance. Based on the non-equilibrium Green's function, we investigate the thermoelectric properties of armchair and zigzag twin graphene nanoribbons and the effect of defects on their thermoelectric performance. The results show that armchair twin graphene nanoribbons of thermoelectric performance are superior to that of zigzag twin graphene nanoribbons because of its larger power factor. At room temperature, the ZT value of 0.6 can be observed in armchair twin graphene nanoribbons. Moreover, the ZT value can be further enhanced to 1.1 by introducing defects, which is mainly due to strong phonon scattering and phonon localization. The current study indicates that this organic and flexible materials have potential in thermoelectric field. more...

The molecule zinc methyl phenalenyl (ZMP), which is a neutral planar phenalenyl-based molecule, has been successfully synthesized experimentally, and large magnetic anisotropy was demonstrated when it is grown on the ferromagnetic metal surface [K. V. Raman et al. Nature, 2013, 493 , 509]. Here, by using nonequilibrium Green's functions combined with the density functional theory, we investigate the electronic transport properties in the ZMP molecule coupled to graphene nanoribbon (GNR) leads. When the ZMP molecule is linked to zigzag GNR (ZGNR) electrodes, perfect spin-filtering effect and large spin-rectifying effect are found. And when the ZMP molecule is coupled to armchair GNR (AGNR) electrodes, rectifying effect is obtained and the rectifying directions can be manipulated by substituting the hydrogen atoms at the edge of ZMP molecule with atoms oxygen or nitrogen. The above interesting properties can be used for the next generation nanoscale device. Analyses are proposed for these phenomena. more...

Using the tensor renormalization group method based on the higher-order singular value decomposition,we have studied the phase transitions of the five-state clock model on the square lattice.The temperature dependence of the specific heat indicates the system has two phase transitions, as verified clearly in the correlation function. By investigating the magnetic susceptibility, we can only obtain the upper critical temperature as Tc2 = 0.9565(7). From the fixed-point tensor, we locate the transition temperatures at Tc1 = 0.9029(1) and Tc2 = 0.9520(1), consistent with the MC and the DMRG results., Comment: 5 pages, 7 figures more...

Aiming at the trajectory tracking accuracy of missile target, a trajectory tracking guidance law is designed based on feedback linearization theory and linear quadratic optimal control theory, and the tracking accuracy of the designed trajectory tracking guidance law under different maneuvering trajectories is tested. The motion equations of missiles are typical non-linear motion models, so feedback linearization is introduced as an exact linearization method, and the definition and necessary and sufficient conditions of feedback linearization theory are listed. Firstly, the non-linear equations of the longitudinal motion of target missile are established, and the feedback linearization method is used to linearize the non-linear model accurately. Then, the linearized model is designed by using the linear quadratic optimal control theory, and a target trajectory tracking guidance law is obtained. Finally, given gust disturbance and different maneuvering trajectories, the designed trajectory tracking guidance law is simulated, and the tracking accuracy of the guidance law is studied by changing the control coefficient. The results show that the trajectory tracking guidance law based on feedback linearization has excellent trajectory tracking ability, good tracking accuracy and strong anti-jamming ability under different maneuvering trajectories. more...

The authors applied a the combination of Continuous Wavelet Transform (CWT) and Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) methods to gamma ray well-log data from the Q3, G1 and D2 wells. This high-resolution stratigraphic study was based on Milankovitch's orbital cycle theory. It was found that the CWT scale factors, ‘a,’ of 12, 24 and 60 match the ratios of the periodicities of precession, obliquity and eccentricity very well. Nine intervals of the Permo-carboniferous strata were recognized to have Milankovitch cycles in them. For example, section A of well Q3 has 29 precession cycles, 15 obliquity cycles and 7 short eccentricity cycles. The wavelengths are 2.7, 4.4 and 7.8 m for precession, obliquity and eccentricity, respectively. Important geological parameters such as the stratigraphic completeness and the accumulation rate were also estimated. These results provide basic information for further cyclostratigraphic correlation studies in the area. They are of great significance for the study of ancient and future climate change. more...

The function of periodontal ligament (PDL) cells may be affected by estrogen. PDL cells synthesize the receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappa B ligand (RANKL) and its decoy receptor, namely, osteoprotegerin (OPG), which directly controls osteoclastogenesis. The primary aim of this study was to investigate how estrogen affects the expression of OPG and RANKL in human PDL (hPDL) cells.We used a short interfering RNA technique to inhibit estrogen receptor beta (ERbeta) expression in hPDL cells; the cells were cultured with a saturating concentration of 17beta-estradiol (10(7) M) for 48 hours. Changes in the expression of OPG and RANKL were determined by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and supported by Western blot analysis.Estradiol caused an increase in OPG expression and decreased RANKL expression in hPDL cells. However, it had no effect on the expression of OPG and RANKL in hPDL-siERbeta (the short interfering RNA to block ER beta) cells.Estrogen may play an important role in exerting antiresorptive effects on alveolar bone, at least in part, by increasing the expression level of OPG versus that of RANKL via ERbeta in hPDL cells. more...

The strata of Jurassic was divided into three tectonic sequences and eight sequences of third rank, according to the developing feature of the tectonic inconformity and the transforming feature of the depositional system tracts. Also the identification and the division of the base-level cycle of different period were carried through. Therefore three cycles of super period, eight cycles of long period, twenty-four cycles of middle period and some cycles of short period were identified. From the overall character of the coal-accumulation in the Mesozoic, we can see that the Yan’an formation is of the best nature of coal bearing. When the coal bearing systems of Jurassic were depositing, the Ordos area is the coal accumulating basin of terrene of large scale and located in the same tectonic unit. But the local structure of different part and the paleolandform are different in the basin, which resulted in the difference of the depositional environment. So the layer number and the distribution of the thickness of the coal beds are different in the different part of the basin. The coal-accumulating action migrated regularly along with the development, evolvement and migration of the depositional systems. The layer numbers of the coal beds, which can be mined, are more in the north and west fringe of the basin, whose distributing area is extensive, and they are more steady in the landscape orientation, also the total thickness is great. Therefore the nature of coal bearing and the coal-accumulating action of different part changed obviously in the space in Ordos area. more...

Evidence from allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation indicates a possible immune response against leukemia-associated antigens in patients with either acute myeloid leukemia (AML) or chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). However, autologous immune responses are less evident. We have developed a method using sequential modulation of growth factors (SMGF) to generate specific anti-AML T-cells from primary cultures of mononuclear cells (MNCs) from patients with AML. This culture method induces greater degrees of antigen presentation by inducing dendritic cell (DC) differentiation of AML in the presence of autologous lymphocytes, which are then expanded by interleukin (IL)-2 and costimulatory molecule ligation. MNCs consisting of 92.3% +/- 5.1% AML blasts and 3.4% +/- 3.2% CD3+ T-cells were obtained from AML patients (n = 12) and cultured in AIM-V medium with IL-4 and recombinant granulocyte-monocyte colony-stimulating factor. Recombinant IL-2 was added on day 8. On day 21, culture conditions were changed to anti-CD3/anti-CD28 monoclonal antibodies and IL-2. By day 42, 354 +/- 182-fold CD3+ T-cell expansion had occurred. Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte assays demonstrated that these T-cells caused significant lysis of autologous leukemia cells and AML cell lines, but not of cells of other lineages, in an HLA class I-dependent manner. Specific Vbeta subgroups (Vbeta3, -7, and -12a), possibly representing T-cell clones specific to AML-specific antigens, were expanded in the cultures of cells from 3 AML patients. SMGF can be used to induce and expand autologous T-cells with HLA class I-dependent antileukemia potential from the peripheral blood of AML patients. Adoptive transfer of these expanded T-cells to patients is a possible therapeutic approach for further study. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant 2002;8(10):557-68. more...

CD123 (alpha-subunit of IL-3 receptor) expression on primitive and committed human hematopoietic cells was studied by multicolor sorting and single-cell culture. The sources of cells included fetal liver (FLV), fetal bone marrow, umbilical cord blood, adult bone marrow and mobilized peripheral blood. Three subsets of CD34+ cells were defined by the levels of surface CD123: CD123negative, CD123low, and CD123bright. Coexpression of lineage markers showed that a majority of CD34+CD123bright cells were myeloid and B-lymphoid progenitors, while erythroid progenitors were mainly in the CD34+CD123negative subset. The CD34+CD123low subset contained a heterogeneous distribution of early and committed progenitor cells. Single CD34+ cells from the CD123 subsets were cultured in a cytokine cocktail of stem cell factor, interleukin 3 (IL-3), IL-6, GM-CSF, erythropoietin, insulin-like growth factor-1, and basic fibroblast growth factor. After 14 days of incubation, a higher cloning efficiency (CE) was observed in the CD34+CD123negative and CD34+CD123low fractions (37+/-23% and 44+/-23%, respectively) than in the CD34+CD123bright fraction (15+/-21%). Using previously published criteria that colonies containing dispersed, translucent cells (dispersed growth pattern, DGP) were derived from primitive cells and that colonies composed solely of clusters were from committed cells, early precursors were distributed evenly in the CD34+CD123negative and CD34+CD123low subsets. When CD38 and CD90 (Thy-1) were used for further characterization of CD34+ cells from FLV, CE increased from 37+/-23% in CD123negative to 70+/-19% in CD123negativeCD38- and from 44+/-23% in CD123low to 66+/-19% in CD123lowCD38-. No significant increase in CE or DGP progenitors was observed when CD34+ cells were sorted by CD90 and CD123. We concluded that: A) high levels of CD123 were expressed on B-lymphoid and myeloid progenitors; B) early erythroid progenitors had little or no surface CD123, and C) primitive hematopoietic cells are characterized by CD123negative/low expression. more...

To investigate the relationship between glaucoma and Moscow Eye Microsurgery Complex (Moroz) keratoprosthesis.Analysis and retrospective review of consecutive clinical case series. A total of 90 patients had a Moroz keratoprosthesis implantation between Apr, 2000 and Jun, 2011 at our hospital.Fifteen eyes of 15 patients were included in this research. Twelve eyes were identified glaucoma before Moroz keratoprosthesis surgery, and 3 eyes developed glaucoma afterward.Intraocular pressure (IOP), best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), and treatment of glaucoma were recorded at 1 to 3 months after the Moroz keratoprosthesis implantation.Moroz keratoprosthesis surgery improved vision dramatically in the majority of patients in our study. The most common preoperative corneal diagnosis was alkali burn (8 eyes, 53.3%), which maybe the risk factor of secondary glaucoma after keratoprosthesis surgery.Five of these 15 patients received cyclocryotherapy after the surgery to control elevated IOP. BCVA decreased from 0.8 to 0.2, 0.25 to light perception, 0.3 to 0.1, 0.2 to hand movement, and 0.25 to counting fingers, respectively.Moroz keratoprosthesis caused glaucoma in only a small number of patients.Visual field, optic nerve appearance and IOP were the main diagnostic modalities after Moroz keratoprosthesis implantation. more...

Using the example of the two-dimensional (2D) Ising model, we show that in contrast to what can be done in configuration space, the tensor renormalization group (TRG) formulation allows one to write exact, compact, and manifestly local blocking formulas and exact coarse grained expressions for the partition function. We argue that similar results should hold for most models studied by lattice gauge theorists. We provide exact blocking formulas for several 2D spin models (the O(2) and O(3) sigma models and the SU(2) principal chiral model) and for the 3D gauge theories with groups Z_2, U(1) and SU(2). We briefly discuss generalizations to other groups, higher dimensions and practical implementations., Comment: 12 pages, 10 figures more...

We consider the sign problem for classical spin models at complex $\beta =1/g_0^2$ on $L\times L$ lattices. We show that the tensor renormalization group method allows reliable calculations for larger Im$\beta$ than the reweighting Monte Carlo method. For the Ising model with complex $\beta$ we compare our results with the exact Onsager-Kaufman solution at finite volume. The Fisher zeros can be determined precisely with the TRG method. We check the convergence of the TRG method for the O(2) model on $L\times L$ lattices when the number of states $D_s$ increases. We show that the finite size scaling of the calculated Fisher zeros agrees very well with the Kosterlitz-Thouless transition assumption and predict the locations for larger volume. The location of these zeros agree with Monte Carlo reweighting calculation for small volume. The application of the method for the O(2) model with a chemical potential is briefly discussed., Comment: 8 pages, 9 figures more...

We apply the plaquette renormalization scheme of tensor network states [Phys. Rev. E 83, 056703 (2011)] to study the spin-1/2 frustrated Heisenberg ${J}_{1}$-${J}_{2}$ model on an $L\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}L$ square lattice with $L$ $=$ 8, 16, and 32. By treating tensor elements as variational parameters, we obtain the ground states for different ${J}_{2}/{J}_{1}$ values, and investigate staggered magnetizations, nearest-neighbor spin-spin correlations, and plaquette order parameters. In addition to the well-known N\'eel order and collinear order at low and high ${J}_{2}/{J}_{1}$, we observe a plaquettelike order at ${J}_{2}/{J}_{1}\ensuremath{\approx}0.5$. A continuous transition between the N\'eel order and the plaquettelike order near ${J}_{2}^{{c}_{1}}\ensuremath{\approx}0.40{J}_{1}$ is observed. The collinear order emerges at ${J}_{2}^{{c}_{2}}\ensuremath{\approx}0.62{J}_{1}$ through a first-order phase transition. more...

To study the cell membrane of corneal endothelium with a micromolecular compound J2 in corneal allograft of rat using atomic force microscopy (AFM).Cohort study. Subjects were divided into two groups: group A (n = 15): experimental group; group B (n = 15): placebo control group. At the fifth, tenth, fifteen, twentieth, twenty-fifth day after penetrating keratoplasty, the donor implant was separated from receipt bed, one part of which was stained by HE and the others fixed into AFM sample. Amplitude and height images were obtained in the tapping mode with a scan rate of 2 Hz and an integral gain of 0.3 to 0.5. Statistical analysis was performed using single-factor analysis of variance and P value was calculated.The average transplant survival time in group A was (33.12 ± 6.80) d, and those in group B was (18.87 ± 4.19) d. There were significant difference between two group (F = 47.7449, P = 0.00). There were obvious differences on ultrastructure measured by AFM between two groups. At the fifth day after penetrating keratoplasty, regular hexagonal structure of corneal endothelium was observed by AFM in both two group. The diameter of corneal endothelium was about 15 µm, uneven microstructure of cell could be found. The time being, different changes were arose in two group: a clear microstructure could be found in group A, however the microstructure of cell could not be recognized in group B. One way analysis of variance showed that significant differences on parameters (Ra, Rp and Rv) were found between two groups (P0.05). At the fifth day after penetrating keratoplasty, group A: Ra (97.64 ± 31.58) nm, Rp (297.79 ± 25.19) nm, Rv (545.55 ± 25.83) nm; group B: Ra (112.61 ± 34.29) nm, Rp (265.06 ± 24.17) nm, Rv (544.41 ± 21.78) nm (Fa = 30.9416, P = 0.0000; Fp = 263.6018, P = 0.0000; Pv = 1.2013, P = 0.2735). At the tenth day after penetrating keratoplasty, group A: Ra (102.98 ± 32.98) nm, Rp (711.38 ± 21.94) nm, Rv (639.89 ± 22.58) nm; group B: Ra (222.85 ± 31.28) nm, Rp (111.22 ± 20.35) nm, Rv (746.49 ± 23.17) nm (Fa = 2086.4535, P = 0.0000; Fp = 53768.4676, P = 0.0000; Pv = 3257.3178, P = 0.0000). At the fifteenth day after penetrating keratoplasty, group A: Ra (87.44 ± 34.97) nm, Rp (344.18 ± 21.09) nm, Rv (482.61 ± 22.27) nm; group B: Ra (197.64 ± 35.72) nm, Rp (510.76 ± 24.98) nm, Rv (545.62 ± 23.17) nm (Fa = 1458.1057, P = 0.0000; Fp = 7788.6963, P = 0.0000; Pv = 1153.2860, P = 0.0000). At the twentieth day after penetrating keratoplasty, group A: Ra (85.85 ± 32.53) nm, Rp (348.69 ± 21.26) nm, Rv (367.65 ± 23.12) nm; group B: Ra (201.36 ± 34.12) nm, Rp (788.58 ± 20.34) nm, Rv (563.33 ± 21.01) nm (Fa = 1801.1215, P = 0.0000; Fp = 67 057.9516, P = 0.0000; Fv = 11 770.2195, P = 0.0000). At the twenty-fifth day after penetrating keratoplasty, group A: Ra (104.97 ± 32.47) nm, Rp (395.05 ± 20.38) nm, Rv (396.17 ± 21.59) nm; group B: Ra (43.85 ± 31.28) nm, Rp (249.88 ± 20.79) nm, Rv (154.88 ± 22.37) nm (Fa = 551.4134, P = 0.0000; Fp = 7458.9255, P = 0.0000; Pv = 18 070.5189, P = 0.0000).The morphology and ultrastructure of corneal endothelium in group A with J2 were different from group B by observation with AFM. J2 was an effect micromolecular in prevention of corneal allograft rejection. more...

To construct a Foxp3 lentiviral vector and transfer it into DC2.4 cells, which provides Foxp3+DC cells for further study on its immune modulation.We cloned mouse Foxp3 gene into lentiviral vector(pGC-FU) and acquired the plasmid pGC-FU-Foxp3. PCR and sequencing analysis were made for verifying the positive clones. The virus packaging plasmids(pGC-FU-Foxp3, pHelper1.0 and pHelper2.0) were contransfected into 293T cells, and the Lentivirus-Foxp3 was harvested from 293T cells. The Lentivirus-Foxp3 was used to infect DC2.4 cells in vitro and the expression of Foxp3 in infected DC2.4 cells was detected with flow cytometry(FCM).PCR and sequencing revealed that the pGC-FU-Foxp3 plasmid was correctly constructed. The Lentivirus-Foxp3 with a titer of 2×10(8); TU/mL was successfully packaged. Foxp3 expression in DC2.4 cells infected with the Lentivirus-Foxp3 was increased significantly compared with negative control lentivirus.The pGC-FU-Foxp3 plasmid has been successfully constructed and the Lentivirus-Foxp3 has been successfully packaged. Foxp3 can be enhanced in DC cells infected with the Lentivirus-Foxp3. more...

Objective: To investigate patient's visual experience during vitreous surgery under local anesthesia. Methods: A prospective and randomized study of 76 patients that underwent vitreous surgeries in our hospital between July 2010 and December 2010 was designed. All patients were interviewed half an hour before and within 1 hour after the surgery using a standardized questionnaire. Basic characteristics of patients and their intraoperative visual experiences like light, color, moving object, pain, fear, and the desire for general anesthesia before and after the surgery were recorded. Results: Sixty patients (78.9%) perceived at least light perception, and 16 patients (21.1%) got no light perception throughout the entire duration of the operation. Forty one patients (53.9%) perceived only light, while 19 patients (25%) experienced moving objects. Thirty nine patients (51.3%) were frightened during their intraoperative visual experiences. Patients with better preoperative best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) were more likely to be frightened (p=0.002). The frightened experience was affected notably by the different perceptions during operation, moving object (p=0.024), light (p=0.071), and color (p=0.071). Patients below 50 years old, especially from 20 to 30, were more likely to choose general anesthesia after the vitreous surgery. Conclusions: Most patients (78.9%) experienced at least light perception during the vitreous surgery under local anesthesia. There were no significant differences between the various visual experiences and their basic characteristics. Patients with better preoperative BCVA, perceived moving objects in their visual sensations seemed more likely to be frightened. more...

Corneal crosslink through UVA-riboflavin photochemistry has been shown to be an effective treatment for keratoconus, related keratectasias and infectious melting keratitis that did not respond to systemic therapy. It is a new approach to increase the mechanical and biochemical stability of the stromal tissue. The purpose of this paper is to review the basic principle, procedure, laboratory and clinical researches about corneal crosslink. In the current situation, it can state only that UVA-riboflavin induced corneal crosslink leads in the majority of the cases to a halt of the progression, and the complications of the corneal endothelial cells, crystalline lens and retina seem to be rare. more...

Objective To investigate the effect of estrogen receptor beta (ERβ) on osteoblastic differentiation function of human periodontal ligament (hPDL) cells by measuring the alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and the production of osteocalcin (OCN) in vitro. Design We employed a short interfering RNA (siRNA) technique to inhibit ERβ expression in hPDL cells; the cells were cultured with a saturating concentration of 17β-estradiol (10−7 M). ALP activity was analysed by colorimetric assay using ALP kit and the amount of OCN was assessed by osteocalcin ELISA kit. Results It was shown that estradiol significantly enhanced the ALP activity and the production of OCN in hPDL cells. However, the ALP activity and the production of OCN in hPDL-siERβ cells were not significantly changed after estradiol treatment. Conclusions These results indicate that ERβ may play important roles in estrogen-induced effects on osteoblastic differentiation function of PDL cells and estrogen influences the bone formation capacity of PDL cells mainly via ERβ. more...

Dear Editor, A 32-year-old, 6.2-foot man presented with complaints of defective vision since early childhood and a history of defective night vision. His father died of an unknown cause when he was 5 years old. The patient had visible arachnodactyly and hyperextensible joints [Fig. 1], but this did not affect his life. Ocular examination revealed that both lenses were dislocated superiorly. Punctate anterior and posterior “snowflake” lens opacities resembled a complicated cataract [Fig. 2]. Best-corrected visual acuities (BCVA) were 20/400 (-2.25), right, and 20/250 (-4.00), left, respectively. The anterior chamber was normal for both eyes. Intraocular pressures were 20 and 18 mmHg, respectively. We could not see the fundus clearly before the cataract surgery. Electroretinography (ERG) findings showed a barely detectable rod b-wave [Fig. 3]. The amplitudes of a- and b-waves in the mixed cone–rod signal were reduced, and the cone response was delayed, suggesting a diagnosis of retinitis pigmentosa (RP). Marfan syndrome was confirmed through his tall height, arachnodactyly, hyperextensible joints and echocardiography [Fig. 4]. Phacoemusification and anterior vitrectomy were performed on both eyes. Intraocular lens (IOL) was not implanted the first time. After the surgery, fundus photograph showed “bone-spicule formation” in both eyes [Fig. 5]. BCVA were 20/50 (+10.00), right, and 20/25 (+12.50), left, respectively. Scleral fixated IOL were implanted 3 months later in order to improve the patient's quality of life. BCVA was 20/60 right and 20/50 left after the surgery. Figure 1 The patient was visible arachnodactyly and hyperextensible joints Figure 2 Slit lamp photograph. Ectopia lentis is present in the right (a) and left (b) eyes Figure 3 ERG findings showed a barely detectable rod b-wave. The amplitudes of a- and b-waves in the mixed cone–rod signal were reduced, and the cone response was delayed Figure 4 Echocardiography findings. (a) The aortic sinus was widened; (b) the aortic root was seen as a fusiform expansion and (c and d) a small quantity of aortic regurgitation Figure 5 (a) Fundus photograph of the right (a) and left (b) eyes. Bone-spicule pigmentation is present in the entire retina; (b) Fundus photograph of the right (a) and left (b) eyes. Bone-spicule pigmentation is present in the entire retina About 50% of the patients with Marfan syndrome are diagnosed by ophthalmologists. The presence of ectopia lentis (EL) is considered a major criterion for the diagnosis of Marfan syndrome in nosology, which unequivocally diagnoses or excludes Marfan syndrome in 86% of the cases.[1] Although the link between RP and EL has been reported before,[2–4] systemic symptoms have not been reported. The only complaint of the current case was defective vision, and EL was found during the eye examination. Considering his 6.2-foot height (taller than average Chinese man), arachnodactyly, hyperextensible joints and echocardiography, a systemic examination was performed and Marfan syndrome was then confirmed. These results suggest that a systemic examination may be necessary in tall subjects with poor vision. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of bilateral spontaneous EL associated with RP in a patient with Marfan syndrome. more...